IRRETRIEVABLE Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

irretrievable

adjective

ˌir-i-ˈtrē-və-bəl

Definition of irretrievable

as in hopeless

not capable of being cured or reformed an irretrievable drug addict who had wasted a once-promising life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in irreparable

not capable of being repaired, regained, or undone this is just an irretrievable mess, so let's start all over again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of irretrievable Days before, Sheriff Nanos had said images were irretrievable. — Richard Ruelas, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026 This dreamscape of the island, like that of the jungle, illuminates in children’s literature a sense of utopia and longing about childhood as a not-quite-place, situated in an irretrievable past-yet-future, while at the same time rooted in an anti-utopian logic of adulthood. — Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025 Alcaraz broke the Italian twice, winning the set with an incredible backhand flick from what looked like an irretrievable position and cupping his ear. — Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 There is a genuinely irretrievable, ephemeral, low-res version of the movie. — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for irretrievable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irretrievable

Adjective

Yet their portrait of the artist as a hopeless snot-nosed punk doesn’t seem interested in knowing who this guy was past being another dude in search of a purpose.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Echoing her sentiments, Shaharier remembered feeling hopeless when his baby boy was born so early.

— Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026

Definition of hopeless

Adjective

That means that having a diagnosis of psoriasis — a condition which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a chronic and incurable skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly and sometimes painful patches — can be a difficult one to deal with.

— Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
An ounce of prevention in this environment is worth much more than a pound of cure — especially where incurable health conditions are concerned and exacerbated.

— Jamie Gold, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of incurable

Adjective

There is something worth protecting in that caution; suffering can distort judgment, and irreversible decisions deserve scrutiny.

— Sai Rajagopal, STAT, 4 Aug. 2026
In Verghese’s model, agents can operate within limits, but large, outward, expensive, or irreversible actions still require human approval.

— William Jones, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of irreversible

Adjective

Countless documents were left lying out in the open and quickly became irrecoverable.

— Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.

— Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of irrecoverable

Adjective

If the answer involves customer harm, regulatory exposure or unrecoverable decisions, AI as autonomy is being requested at the wrong scope.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
The business also has made Space Shuttle drag parachutes for the orbiter, and parachutes that deploy from the tails of F-22 and F-35 military jets to break them from unrecoverable stalls or spins.

— Pat Maio, Oc Register, 29 May 2026

Definition of unrecoverable

Adjective

Many of the country’s top psychiatric groups warn that there is no empirical standard for determining whether a mental-health condition is irremediable.

— Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Any RVs at the encampment found to have long-term rat infestations will be classified as irremediable biohazards and destroyed, according to the notice.

— Kate Talerico, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Jan. 2026

Definition of irremediable

Adjective

In interviews, colleagues and friends have painted the portrait of Galliano before his downfall as a brilliant designer as well as an incorrigible drunk who trashed hotel rooms.

— Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11 at age 71, was equally irascible and incorrigible.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 28 July 2026

Definition of incorrigible

Browse Nearby Words

irresponsibleness

irretrievable

irreverence

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Style

“Irretrievable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irretrievable. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of irretrievable

adjective

Example Sentences

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